Pav Bhaji

Ah! The famous Pav Bhaji! Something that can be enjoyed in so many different ways. It's just as famous at the Chaat places in India, as it is at a dinner party. I had a Chaat dinner party over the weekend, with some store bought frozen samosas and pani puri, but I had to make the pav bhaji from scratch. Here's what I did...



INGREDIENTS for the Bhaji

1 medium Onion -- chopped finely
1 medium Green Pepper -- chopped finely
1 large Tomato -- chopped finely
2 medium Potatoes -- I used potatoes
1 large Carrot
1 medium Cauliflower
1 cup Green Peas -- the frozen kind will do just fine
1 cup Green Beans -- I used frozen for this too
1 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
Pav Bhaji Masala
Red Chilli Powder
Salt
3 tbsp Butter + more for garnishing
Cilantro (Coriander) -- for garnishing
1 tsp Lime Juice -- or lemon if you like the taste of that better you will need for garnishing

PROCEDURE

Peel and chop the potatoes, cauliflower and carrot and add to a pressure cooker safe bowl with the green beans and peas. Pressure cook the vegetables with some water until they soften, about 1 whistle if you are using a regular pressure cooker.
Drain the water and roughly mash the cooked vegetables.
In a large pot, melt the butter and add in the onions, tomatoes and green peppers along with the ginger-garlic paste.
The green peppers provide a little bit of a crunch to the bhaji, so once the onions and tomatoes are well cooked, add in salt, red chilli powder and pav bhaji masala to your desired taste, add the water you drained from the vegetables and let the mixture come to a boil. Add in the mashed vegetables and mix everything well.
Turn off and mix in the lime juice.
Since the lime juice turns bitter as you cook it, it is important to turn off the stove before you add the juice, the heat from the bhaji will be enough to help it mix in with the rest of the curry.

For the Pav

I used regular whole wheat bread slices, but you can use buns or dinner rolls as well.
Butter

Toast the bread and rub both sides with a little bit of melted butter. I toast my bread on a skillet, but a toaster will work as well. Just be sure to keep an eye on it.

Serving suggestion:

Garnish the bhaji with finely chopped onions, cilantro, a small cube of butter and a piece of lime (or lemon), it is best served hot.


LEFTOVER Bhaji

I had some left over bhaji after the party was over. Sure I could have just served it as a regular curry with roti, but I really wanted to do something different.
So, this is what I did...

Place the left over bhaji in a serving bowl, add curd (or yogurt), tamarind chutney, coriander chutney, onion, lime juice, boondi, sev and coriander. Serve!
Since I had all of these ingredients left over from the party, I just added them all! :)
Tastes great hot or cold.

Mixed Vegetable Curry

This is a recipe I like to make when I don't have a lot of time, but still gives me that slow cooked taste.

INGREDIENTS

Mixed Veggies - your choice (I used a 1/4 bag of frozen veggies that had beans, corn and carrots and 1 medium potato peeled and finely cubed)
1/2 finely chopped Onion
1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/2 cup Milk
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tbsp Chilli Powder
1 tbsp Garam Masala
3/4 tbsp Coriander Powder
Salt
Oil

PROCEDURE

I first washed the frozen veggies in warm water and put them in a microwave safe bowl. I added the cubed potatoes to this bowl and put everything in the microwave for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, I heated about 1 1/2 tbsp of oil in a pan and added the chopped onions. Let this cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions soften, add the ginger-garlic paste and cook again until the raw smell goes away.
It is now time to add in the microwaved veggies. Mix everything together well and let the pieces cook. The beans usually take the longest, so keep an eye on them. The best way to check to see if all the pieces are cooked is to take a wooden spoon and cut a piece. It should split in two without much effort.
Once the veggies are all cooked, it should take about 5 minutes, add the turmeric, salt, chilli powder, garam masala and coriander powder. Mix everything well and add in milk. Yogurt (or curd) can be used also, but I was out of curd so I used milk instead.
If the curry tastes too spicy, or too salty, more milk can be added. You can also use more milk if you want a gravy curry.
Serve with rice and/or roti.